The company reported this morning that Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, will spend $1.5 million installing Ecotality’s Blink charging stations at 125 stores in Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego.

Kroger will install 225 stations in all, including 25 DC fast chargers. The grocery chain already has 60 Blink chargers in Oregon and Washington, as well as 14 in Texas. Blink customers sign up to use the service and access the chargers by swiping a card on the machine.

The companies that make charging stations are fiercely competitive about finding and locking up the best locations. And supermarket parking lots seem ideal. Most customers don’t race in and out of the store — they spend a half hour or more stocking their carts, enough time to add a little juice to their car batteries.

They make the trip on a regular basis. That’s good for Ecotality, which can be confident that stations in Kroger parking lots will get regular use. It’s also good for Kroger. EV drivers — always looking for another place to fill up — will know which grocery stores have chargers and which ones don’t.

“Retailers across the country are quickly realizing the benefits of installing our Blink chargers,” said Ravi Brar, Ecotality’s CEO. “Independent research shows that Blink card holders routinely reward these establishments with more time in their stores and repeat business.”